Outside the Bubble
by arualms
Summary: Set during The Undertow. Who wouldn't want a piece of Ryan Atwood? What I think was really going through Jess's head. Rated M for language.


disclaimer: own nothing. I am not sure I would want to own Jess at all.

AN: This is the result of the fact tha, while I loved "The Undertow", I found Jess to be completely out of character. This is how I explain her behaviour. It's not what I usually write, but it was fun for me to do. Hope you get something out of it.

**Outside the Bubble**

_Jess is not the kind of girl to break down and sob into some guy's shoulders. She is, however, the kind of girl who knows what she wants and how to o for it. She is from Newport, after all._

She had enjoyed her time in Vegas with Trey, because god knew he had a lot to catch up on after month in a freaking coma and she was more than happy to assist. The guy was great in bed, and why shouldn't she enjoy herself?

Unfortunately, Trey had also come to some kind of decision, realisation, whatever. The result was that he laid of the coke. And while sex was great, it was no fun to get high and drunk alone. So she had found some other girls to hang out with while was at work. She had no idea why he had to take a job as crappy as dealing cards, but as long as he didn't expect her to join him in his stupid attempt to become a better man, she was ok with fucking him when he was home and partying with the others when he wasn't.

Getting caught buying coke had been stupid. Good thing there was nothing Daddy Dearest and his money couldn't take care of. Except for the fact that there were "conditions" this time. That's how she ended up back in Newport. She had forgotten how dull it had been.

After a couple of months of pretending to go to college and a string of boring one-night stands, Trey had made his re-entry into her life. Not the way she wanted him to, because he didn't want to come back, she couldn't and phone sex only did so much, but the favour he asked for provided a long needed distraction.

_Jess remembers Ryan Atwood well. You don't meet sex on legs every day. And since they are from the same stock, chances are he has as much to offer as Trey._

Heading over to the Cohens' house, she made sure to be dressed the part. This Atwood doesn't go for the easy girls, although Trey had insisted that he hadn't always been such a prude. It didn't really matter, she could role-play for him.

The look on his face when he opened the door was priceless. The change when she gave him the present even better. One thing the Atwood brothers definitely had in common: They didn't want to talk to, or even about, the other, but if you gave them a little tibit of information, they would follow you around for more as if they were on crack and you were their dealer. Fucked up, both of them. But in the good, sexy way, so it was fine with her.

The fact that he didn't start the questioning at once was to be expected. Just 'cause he wanted it, didn't mean he wanted to want it. And they had been interrupted by some girl, probably Cohen's girlfriend. She vaguely remembered Cohen being with someone with dark hair. She could wait a little. He would come to her soon enough. She deserved to have some fun.

_Jess knows how to use her body. If there is something you want, everything is allowed. And wearing a bikini to show Atwood what's on offer certainly isn't a sacrifice. Jess also knows what Atwood wants for Trey, and what he doesn't want. She decides to give him a little of both._

When Atwood came over, which of course she had known he was going to do, she could see how well it works. A little hope for Trey doing well to put him in a good mood. A little reminder that she is trying to get over him, and failing by having an invented new bad boyfriend, to make Atwood feel responsible for her. Guilt was a big thing for Atwood, Trey had told her. For someone who was supposedly smart, he was rather dumb when it came to realising he was being played. Not that she was complaining. She didn't want him for his brains.

But unfortunately, he didn't stay. Despite the fact that she all but stripped for him, he didn't do anything about it. Trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with him, the only thing she could come up with was that the frigid Cooper-girl had not ended up in San Diego after all and they were still an item. She had been sure the girl would be gone after the summer, but now she had to adjust her plans accordingly.

_Jess has lived in Newport her entire life. She knows where to buy the best coke, where to pick up the right guys for sex without questions. She knows who to ask when there is something she needs to know. This is her playing field._

She caught up with the gossip mill regarding Atwood over the day. After all, the more you knew about the target, the easier it was to hit it spot on. Unfortunately, what she heard was not all to her liking. Ryan having dumped Cooper was of course great, as it freed her from having to overcome whatever problems he had with the thought of sleeping with someone who wasn't his girlfriend- something else that he had never bothered with in Chino, according to Trey. Seemed like Newport had been hell on his though guy persona, even if it still radiated off of him in waves, along with the hotness.

But as encouraging as the break up was the rumour that he had already found a replacement. The chic who interrupted them at his house. She should have known, but she had been busy enjoying the view and making sure to give him the right mixture of reformed girl and girl who knew his brother. Not that she could blame him for wanting to make up for what had to be months of enforced celibacy- everyone knew Cooper didn't put out- but she wanted to be the one he made it up with. The Newbie was a problem, especially since she was not a Newpsie in training. She wouldn't play hard to get, if she knew what was good for her. And shit, apparently she even got along with his folks. At least that's what one of her old friends told her- why the guy had been invited to Atwood's birthday party, she had no idea.

So she would not be the first on he turned to. Contact to his brother was good, but he already had "something" with this chic. And Atwood was all about being faithful and all that crab. Why voluntarily deny yourself so much fun? Still, she would have to find a way to overcome those stupid morals of his. Shouldn't be too hard.

_Jess always knows what she wants. And if there is one thing growing up in Newport taught her, it's that you go after what you want and get it, no matter how. She wants Trey's baby-brother, and she will get him. And lucky for her, she has insider information._

Trey had talked most when he was drunk. And while he didn't do coke anymore, he had no problem with alcohol, so she learned quite a lot about him in the time they lived together in Vegas. She learned a lot about his brother, too, because Trey had a lot to say about him. So she knew that Ryan had what Trey had called "a fucking stupid white-knight complex that only ever gets him in trouble". She wanted to be that trouble. And if she could play the goody-two-shoes reformed college girl, she sure as hell could play the damsel in distress.

It was not difficult for her to decide which of her past one-time fucks to invite to her place, promising a repeat performance. The guy had shown a tendency to develop a temper rather quickly. He wouldn't like another guy being there when he showed up. And Atwood would be there. She was his only connection to Trey. No way would he let that pass by, no matter what other girl was waiting for him. Especially if she made him responsible. If she told him she had "broken up" with the guy because of him, he would feel responsible. People who wanted to do the right thing were so easy.

_Jess thinks she should consider a career in Hollywood._

It worked perfectly, of course. Atwood scared the guy- she wasn't even sure what his name was- away and she gave a very believable performance of being scared and sad. She felt like it was almost too easy.

Unfortunately, there was a slight set back. She got him to spend the night, but the idiot didn't do anything. When her phone rang, she knew how to continue. There was no real risk involved. Atwood would never take the phone to talk to Trey, so he wouldn't realize it had been someone else and she had turned it off. Atwood wanted to know how his brother was doing, but he was nowhere near ready to deal with him. The look on his face was priceless. So now he remembered what she could offer him that no one else ever would.

_Jess knows that some things take time. She also knows how to throw a party._

Convincing her so-called friends that she was out of it was not difficult. And mascara could easily be smudged with some water. It was time to bring out the big guns, even though she was still pissed that this was necessary. How hard was it for a guy to allow himself to get laid? This was just not natural. But, she reminded herself; in the end it would be worth it. And of course Atwood came.

Fake crying was definitely a talent that came in handy in lots of situations besides convincing Daddy Dearest that a new car would help her to get over the trauma of being arrested. And when Atwood hugged her, she once more remembered why she was going through all this trouble. If there was one thing she had missed with Trey, it had been the muscles. Atwood had just the right amount, and she felt herself getting wet at the thought of what those muscles would allow him to do with her.

Making the one-night stand come back again, angry, hadn't been hard. And predictably, they started to beat each other up. Seeing Atwood rolling on the ground was not only hot, it was perfect. He would be high on adrenaline afterwards, and she would be there to make it up to him by helping him come down. Being the damsel had its upsides.

_Jess hates nothing more than things not going the way she wants them to. It is not something she was thought to accept._

Atwood was not supposed to stop in the middle of the fight and let the angry guy go. He definitely wasn't supposed t leave afterwards. The words "I need to stop dating girls like you" had never been part of the plan. And it's not as if she ever wanted to date, she just wanted some fun. The guy didn't know what he was missing.

_Jess likes the Atwood boys. Since the younger one is too dense for his own good, maybe it is time for a trip to Vegas. Trey will want to know how his baby-brother is doing._

_**As always, reviews, comments and all form of constructive critizism are more than welcome.**_


End file.
